Use of Psychopharmacological Medications

Running head: SEDATIVE MEDICATIONS AND BEHAVIOR CONTROL
THE CONTROVERSY OF THE USE OF PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS TO
CONTROL BEHAVIORS AND MANAGE SYMPTOMS FOR PEOPLE WHO
EXPERIENCE MENTAL ILLNESS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1SEDATIVE MEDICATIONS AND BEHAVIOR CONTROL
As per the report of Aihw.gov.au (2020), more than 20.9% of the entire Australian
population in the year 2019 suffered from one form of mental health issue or the other and the
most common ones being anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, substance use disorders,
schizophrenia and others. Branford et al. (2019) are of the viewpoint that over the years it had
been seen that different kinds of treatment methods like behavioral therapy, psychotherapy,
medications and others have been used by the mental healthcare professionals for the purpose of
facilitating the recovery of the patients. However, in the recent times it had been seen that the
different healthcare professionals are increasingly resorting to the usage of sedative medications
for the purpose of controlling the behavior of the mental health patients and it had been seen that
more than 69% of the individuals out of the total number of individuals suffering from mental
health issues in Australia have reported to undergo this (Sheehan et al., 2018).
More importantly, as per the stipulations of the Mental Health Act 2015 (ACT), the
healthcare organizations and also the mental healthcare professionals have been given the power
to use restrictive actions and also a wide range of medications, therapies and others for offering
the required treatment to the patients who pose a significant threat to themselves and also
towards the society (Health.act.gov.au, 2020). However, the important issue arises since it had
been seen that the healthcare professionals actively take the help of different kinds of sedative
medicines like Thorazine (chlorpromazine), Trilafon (perphenazine), Stelazine (trifluoperazine),
Serentil (mesoridazine) and others which although helps in controlling the behavior of the
patients yet cause various side-effects or negative-effects to the health of the patients as well
(Lamb & Weinberger, 2017). This in turn had raised a controversy regarding the effectiveness of
the psychotropic medication approach which is being used by the mental healthcare professionals
for administering the required healthcare treatment services to the patients suffering from various

2SEDATIVE MEDICATIONS AND BEHAVIOR CONTROL
mental health issues. The purpose of this paper is to undertake an analysis of the controversy of
the use of psychotropic medications to control behaviors and manage symptoms for people who
experience mental illness while highlighting the challenging aspects that the registered nurses
encounter for administering psychotropic medication to the patients.
Sheehan and Hassiotis (2017) are of the viewpoint that an important factor which had
substantially contributed towards the widespread usage of different kinds of psychotropic
medicines or drugs for offering the required mental healthcare treatment services to the
individuals suffering from various mental health issues can be attributed to the benefits offered
by the usage of the same. Adding to this, Lamb and Weinberger (2017) have noted that the
different kinds of medicines like Thorazine (chlorpromazine), Trilafon (perphenazine), Stelazine
(trifluoperazine), Serentil (mesoridazine) and others over the years had helped the healthcare
professionals to facilitate the recovery of the mental health patients effectively. Furthermore, a
study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health found that the usage of selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) Paxil is especially helpful for the treatment of the patients
suffering from depression, anxiety and other similar kinds of mental health issues (Branford et
al., 2019).
However, at the same time it needs to be said that there are various negative effects or for
that matter side-effects of the extensive usage of these medicines or drugs as well despite the
benefits offered by them. For instance, prolonged usage of these medicines or drugs for
administering the required treatment to the mental health patients can cause dizziness, sleep
disturbance, loss in appetite, loss of weight, drowsiness, emotional disturbances and others which
in turn can aggravate the mental health issues faced by the individuals (Buchanan & Wootton,
2017). In particular, a 2005 article in Harvard Mental Health Letter clearly indicates the fact that

3SEDATIVE MEDICATIONS AND BEHAVIOR CONTROL
the long-term usage of the different antipsychotics can lead to serious side-effects like tardive
dyskinesia or Parkinsonism, suicidal tendencies on account of the frequent mood swings,
emotional numbness and others which rather than resolving the mental health issues faced by the
patients can aggravate the same (Lysaker & Klion, 2017). This in turn is an important reason
why the healthcare professionals and also Registered Nurses (RN) should not indulge in the
extensive usage of the psychotropic medications to control behaviors and manage symptoms for
people who experience mental illness.
As discussed by Cummings and Wiggins (2016), the healthcare professionals and also the
registered nurses are required to take into account the concepts of patient safety, ethics, morals,
dignity, respect and others while complying with the different mental healthcare policies as well
as legislations for the purpose of offering the required healthcare treatment services to the
patients. Adding to this, Finkelhor and Johnson (2017) have noted that in the particular context
of the mental health patients it is often seen that they reach the condition wherein they can not
only inflict a substantial amount of harm to themselves but also to the people around them as
well. More importantly, it had also been seen that there are various mental health patients who
often become aggressive and thereby pose a substantial threat to themselves and also to the
healthcare professionals and thus it becomes important for the healthcare professionals to take
the help of sedative medicines and other similar measures for controlling their behavior
(Schützwohl et al., 2016). It is in the light of these aspects that the Mental Health Act 2015
(ACT) of the Australian government clearly indicates that the healthcare professionals have the
option to take the help of restrictive measures for a period of atleast three months in the
particular context of the patients who belong to this category (Health.act.gov.au, 2020).

4SEDATIVE MEDICATIONS AND BEHAVIOR CONTROL
However, the important issue arises since it had been seen that there are many healthcare
professionals and also the registered nurses who actively take the help of the restrictive measures
even when the situation does not demand for the usage of the same for controlling the behavior
of the patients (O'Leary et al., 2017). This in turn had given rise to the situation wherein the
above mentioned values or the attribute of ethics is being completely disregarded by the
healthcare professionals and thus they actively take the help of different kinds of sedative
medications for controlling the behavior of the patients which could have been easily controlled
through the usage of much simpler measures (Colaizzi, 2016). In this relation, it needs to be said
that the usage of sedative medication and also the other restrictive measures for controlling the
behavior of the mental health patients while adversely affecting their health also take a negative
toll on their psychology as well which in turn also adversely affects the process of their recovery
as well (McGinty et al., 2018). Thus, it becomes important for the healthcare professionals and
also the registered nurses to take the help of the concepts of patient safety, ethics, morals,
dignity, respect and others for administering the required treatment to the mental health patients
and thereby desist from the usage of the sedative medications and other restrictive practices
because of the harm that they cause to the patients.
Asher et al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that in the earlier times in the absence of any
effective treatment approaches or for that matter the treatment methods the healthcare
professionals had no other option but to take the help of the different kinds of psychotropic
medication or the sedatives for offering the required treatment to the mental health patients.
Adding to this, Ozaki, Katsumata and Arai (2017) have noted that presently it is seen that the
healthcare professionals have numerous options like behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy,
physiotherapy, counseling and others for facilitating the recovery of the individuals suffering

5SEDATIVE MEDICATIONS AND BEHAVIOR CONTROL
from different mental health issues along with the usage of medications. As a matter of fact, it
had been seen that because of the negative effects of the extensive usage of the different
psychotropic medications presently it is seen that the healthcare professionals and even the
mental health patients themselves are increasingly opting for the kind of treatment options which
do not involve medications (Sheehan et al., 2018). More importantly, presently medications are
being used only in extreme cases wherein the behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy,
physiotherapy, counseling and others have failed to facilitate the recovery of the patients from
the mental health issues that they are facing (Bonnot et al., 2016). The large number of mental
health patients who had been able to recover from the mental health issues faced by them clearly
indicates the effectiveness of these alternative treatment methods and also highlights the fact that
medicines are not always necessary for facilitating the recovery of the patients (Frank & Shott,
2016). Thus, it can be said that unless the situation or for that matter the condition of the patients
demands the healthcare professionals should not use sedatives or the psychotropic medication or
the other commonly used restrictive measures for the treatment of the mental health patients.
As discussed by O'Leary et al. (2017), there are challenging aspects for registered nurses
who administer psychotropic medication to the mental health patients who pose significant risk
of harm to self and to others and thereby to promote recovery-oriented practice within the
clinical setting. Adding to this, Cummings and Wiggins (2016) have noted that an important
challenge which the registered nurses face for administering the psychotropic medication to the
patients can be attributed to the resistance that they face from the patients themselves. For
instance, in the majority of the cases the patients have an idea about the negative connotations of
the psychotropic medicines on their mind, body and emotions and thus it is often seen that they
offer a high level of resistance to the intake of such medicines and in some cases it had also been

6SEDATIVE MEDICATIONS AND BEHAVIOR CONTROL
seen that the registered nurses are required to take the help of force for administering the same to
the patients (Schützwohl et al., 2016).
Another important challenge that the registered nurses face for administering the
psychotropic medicines can be attributed to the effective management of the negative or the side-
effects of these medicines on the mind, emotions and the body of the patients (Sheehan &
Hassiotis, 2017). As a matter of fact, it is seen that the negative effects of these medicines vary
from patient to patient however some of the most common signs are drowsiness, dizziness, loss
of appetite, changes in sleep pattern, loss of weigh, increased levels of anxiety, frequent mood
swings, emotional imbalance and others which can actually aggravate mental health issues faced
by the patients (Finkelhor & Johnson, 2017). Furthermore, in some of the serious cases it is seen
that the patients start to have hallucinations, become suicidal and others which while hindering
the recovery of these patients can also adversely affect the wellbeing of these individuals as well
(McGinty et al., 2018). In addition to these, the majority of the registered nurses have a fair idea
that the usage of the psychotropic medication is against the nursing ethics, values and principles
that they are required to follow and can also adversely affect the safety of the patients as well
(Lamb & Weinberger, 2017). Moreover, they also need to ensure the fact that the usage of these
sedatives or the psychotropic medicines and their dosages needs to be in compliance with the
governmental stipulations as well as the healthcare policies or the regulations that they are
required to follow for offering the required healthcare service to the patients (Sheehan et al.,
2018). Thus, the nurses are often in a dilemma as to whether they should take the help of the
sedatives or the psychotropic medication knowing that they have the option to take the help of
the other effective recovery-oriented practices like counseling, behavioral therapy, physiotherapy
and others which can facilitate the recovery of the patients in a better manner.

7SEDATIVE MEDICATIONS AND BEHAVIOR CONTROL
To conclude, the healthcare professionals and also the registered nurses frequently take
the help of the different psychotropic medicines, sedatives and restrictive measures for
addressing the mental health issues experienced by the individuals. However, the above
discussion clearly indicates that these drugs or medicines cause more harm to the patients in
comparison to the benefits that they offer to them. For instance, the negative or the side effects of
these medicines leave a lasting impact on the patients which in turn substantially affect their
wellbeing. Furthermore, presently different recovery-oriented practices like behavioral therapy,
counseling, physiotherapy and others have emerged which cause significantly lesser amount of
damage to the patients while facilitating their recovery from their mental health issues in the best
possible manner. Thus, it becomes important for the healthcare professionals and the registered
nurses to stop taking the help of the psychotropic medicines, sedatives and restrictive measures
and take the help of the alternative recovery-oriented practices for facilitating the recovery of the
patients.

8SEDATIVE MEDICATIONS AND BEHAVIOR CONTROL
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